The Korean film and television industries have dominated in Asia for decades, and now they are taking on the global entertainment market. Squid Game is one of the most recent revelations to reach all the corners of the earth, and there will be many more to follow from this nation famed for its high-quality programming.
However, for Korean series to take on the western entertainment industry, the studios behind them may need to replicate the marketing model found over here.
Slot Games Have Boosted Western Series Massively
Film, TV and gaming industries have always been intertwined. Look through any online slots website and you’ll find countless games based on western series and movies. For example, there are titles like Rick and Morty Wubba Lubba Dub Dub, The Naked Gun, and Sausage Party. These games help raise awareness of these films and series and get them in front of people who may not have known about them before.
Some of the world’s most successful series in recent years have branched out into slot games, simply because this is such a booming market. It provides another outlet for these shows to boost their brand and allows players to enjoy the themes in different ways.
There’s no reason Korean series couldn’t find similar success in the slots market as western offerings. Some of the popular themes from the country’s culture are already prevalent in slots. For example, All of Us Are Dead, Train to Busan, and Kingdom all feature zombies, and these nightmarish creatures can also regularly be found on the reels in games like Zombie Circus.
Korean Series are Getting Worldwide Attention
Squid Game has been one of the most talked about series in 2022, and it sprung to worldwide attention thanks to Netflix. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s offering is the most-watched title on the platform ever, and there were 2.1 billion hours of footage viewed within four weeks of its release. The overwhelming popularity of this survival thriller has led many western households to go in search of more Korean series. Luckily, Netflix offers plenty of choice.
Some of the best series to check out if you enjoyed Squid Game include The Silent Sea, Arthdal Chronicles, Mr. Sunshine, and Crash Landing on You. The problem for many of these titles is that they often fly under the radar and aren’t always buoyed by social media hype in the same way Squid Game was. Therefore, they need another way to get attention in the market.
The only way that a greater number of Korean series could have a chance of being bigger and more famous than western options is if they were to franchise more broadly. This would involve appearing in slot games and titles on mobile and console as well. Doing this would help them generate publicity and attention and could allow them to enjoy the same success as Squid Game.
Being of high quality is not enough for Korean series in the western market. They need other ways to promote themselves, and the franchising model could achieve this. Right now, it’s hard to imagine Korean series surpassing western offerings on a large scale.
